Agencies, management companies, and casting directors receive tons of submissions. They are continuously flooded with headshots, resumes, and reels. So, what’s the latest and greatest way to ensure an agent spots and reviews yours? A personal electronic press kit (EPK).
What’s that? Instead of opting to email a headshot and the link to your demo reel, try a tool that showcases your experience and successes, skills, personality, and range all in one. An EPK contains career-related content that might include your entire journey, just a few clippings, or one especially successful project, depending on how much experience you have under your belt. Pull it all together and save in PDF format or upload it to your personal website and share the link.
Along with the footage, you’ll need to make sure you include current contact information and a few images – not only include your headshot but select stills from projects you’ve been featured in. This gives the appearance that you are “castable” and gives the recipient an idea of the roles that might be right for you. Backstage recommends that your EPK be at least 70 percent images and 30 percent text per page to maintain visual interest.
An EPK can include banners from a popular film or theater project you were cast in, press releases, brochures, and flyers that feature your name and/or image. Maybe a reputable industry insider mentioned you in a review or you were interviewed and can include a clipping. Adding unique, yet relevant, the information in the kit will keep it view-worthy.
You can opt to email your recipient the files directly, share the content your social media and forward these handles, or share to your website and include the link in the body of an email. If you submit your materials just right and catch the eye of a casting director, agent, or manager, they might just be willing to sneak a peek at your EPK by downloading the materials. If sharing to a social media site or website, make sure all of the content posted to that location is up-to-date and appealing. You don’t want to have a recipient clicking on a link to find an out-of-date landing page or an inaccurate, old bio. Even if you have a specific page set aside for your press kit, you’ll want to ensure all content on the site has been kept up.
Remember, an EPK is a visual depiction of your work history. You can pick what to include, just make sure the content is eye-catching, relevant, accurate, and up-to-date, and it might just be a career-changing choice!